Poorly maintained maintenance road separates neighbors and park,  may face future sewer environmental issues | Board and College should have listened to Paul Chevalier who represented the District where the Verde Valley Campus is located when the issue came up for brief discussion last year, not ignore him

Editor: Robert E. Oliphant

EDITORIAL:  The decision to construct a small 10-space trailer park on the Yavapai Community College’s Verde Campus, right next to the backyards of Clarkdale homeowners, is nothing short of a colossal blunder. This is particularly concerning because the only barrier separating the private homes’ backyards from the trailer park located a few feet away is the College’s poorly maintained maintenance road.

Already, this decision has compelled some neighbors to take matters into their own hands by putting up a substantial metal privacy/security fence to create a barrier between themselves and the trailer park. As apparent from  photos contained in a previous Blog post, construction of the fence must have caused neighbors to expend a lot of extra money to guarantee security and privacy because of the College’s location decision.   (Click here to see earlier Blog story and photos of fence.) 

What’s even more baffling about the location decision is the fact that there are an estimated whopping 50-60 acres of undeveloped land owned by the College immediately adjacent to the main Campus buildings. These vast, unused expanses were readily available for the creation of a small trailer park. Opting to place the trailer park in a location away from the back yards of Clarkdale neighbors would have not only shown respect for the neighborhood but also provided a location with significantly fewer potential problems.

One cannot help but question whether the planners gave any serious thought to the choice of location and the myriad challenges that come with locating a trailer park in such close proximity to a residential neighborhood. Can the College reasonably expect anything but a chorus of future complaints about noise, putrid smells coming from the large septic system, lighting, dogs barking, and litter strewn about the ground stemming from this decision? In addition to these concerns, some residents are already beginning to view the results of the extra-frugal investment in constructing the current trailer park as a Campus eyesore.

During his tenure as the District Governing Board representative, Mr. Paul Chevalier cautioned both the Board and the College executives against proceeding with this particular endeavor. Regrettably, his warning fell on deaf ears.

What’s even more disheartening is that not only were Mr. Chevalier’s concerns disregarded, but the College initiated construction of the park in March 2022 without his involvement or even his awareness. Astonishingly, the matter was never subjected to a specific budgetary vote by the Governing Board. This oversight failure occurred as the executives based in Prescott, who hold sway over all decisions affecting the Verde Valley Campus, deemed the construction cost associated with building the park inconsequential and unworthy of a detailed discussion or a specific vote.

Yet another potential future problem has been spawned by the incredibly ill-advised decision to construct a substantial septic system for use in disposing of waste coming from the trailer park. It would have been far more prudent to consider connecting to Cottonwood’s convenient sewer system, or even directly connecting with the main Cottonwood sewer plant, which is located  is a mere mile or so from the border of the Campus property.  

The planners ought to have been acutely aware of the environmental situation of the eleven thousand inhabitants of the Verde Villages, and that portions of the Verde Villages almost abut the College’s property. In response to their own concerns, the Verde Villages residents have convened a committee to deliberate on the fate of their hundreds of home and business septic systems. They’ve received expert advice indicating that while they may not currently be in violation of the Clean Water Act of 1972, it’s not a question of “if” but “when” they will be. Experts have underscored that the Environmental Protection Agency is deeply concerned about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, durable chemicals that degrade extremely slowly and are present in the effluent associated with septic systems.

The College’s septic tanks dug into the ground for the trailer park will only exacerbate the ongoing concerns in this area related to groundwater pollution.

It’s natural for Sedona/Verde Valley residents to wonder whether the Community College executives genuinely care about their area or if their primary focus is on the annual excess tax revenue generated by property owners in Sedona and the Verde Valley that can used on Prescott/Prescott Valley projects. The establishment of this tiny trailer park for students and faculty is just one of the decisions that raise doubts about the College’s commitment to Sedona and the Verde Valley. If anything, it highlights the urgent need for total  local engagement, control, and decision-making when it comes to the residents of Sedona, the Verde Valley, and the Yavapai Community College Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center.

Instead of fearing public scrutiny because it honestly shares detailed lawful information about decisions and projects in the District, it should embrace it as an opportunity for growth and improvement

Editor: Robert Oliphant Commentary

EDITORIAL: In an age where transparency and open dialogue are increasingly becoming cornerstones of effective governance and public trust, one ponders what is happening at Yavapai Community College. While touting the values of openness, community engagement, and collaboration, it appears Yavapai Community College has become paranoid when it comes to sharing any specifics about its  operations and decision-making processes with the residents of the County who support it.

It seems to me that this closed-door approach to institutional governance is counterintuitive to its educational mandate and  also potentially harmful to the very fabric of academic freedom and community trust.

The Irony of Withholding Information:  Education, at its core, is about the dissemination of knowledge. Yavapai Community College is supposed to foster curiosity, encourage questions, and cultivate critical thinking. So, when it chooses to operate in secrecy, a stark contradiction arises. How can it instruct students the value of transparency, accountability, and democratic processes while simultaneously withholding as much information as possible about the inner workings of its educational environment from the public? It is hardly acting as a role model students should emulate.

Eroding Trust:  Trust is a fragile commodity, and once lost, it’s not easily regained. That should be a lesson learned over the past half century in the treatment afforded residents of  Sedona and the Verde Valley.  By keeping its cards so close to its chest, Yavapai Community College creates a climate of skepticism and doubt. Parents, students, and the broader community on the east side of Minus Mountain question what it has to hide. Without transparency, unfounded rumors, often based on misinformation, can gain traction, further muddying the waters and eroding the trust that it needs to operate effectively.

The Fear Factor: You might ask: “Why has Yavapai Community College chosen  this path of opacity?  Are the  executives operating the College trying to protect trade secrets, as a corporation might?” That seems unlikely. More plausibly, the executives fear a public backlash over unpopular decisions, possess concerns over competition between the five Districts in the County, or it has accepted an  institutional culture that has historically valued secrecy over public transparency.

While these concerns are understandable to a certain extent, the solution isn’t to retreat further into the shadows. In the long run, such behavior only exacerbates its problems.

The Need for a New Approach:  Yavapai Community College is not a mere corporate entity driven by profit. It is a center of learning, growth, and community building. It has  a responsibility to its students, to society at large, and Yavapai County residents in particular. Thus, it’s crucial that the College operates with a level of transparency befitting its role.

Instead of fearing public scrutiny because of sharing information, it should embrace it as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Feedback from the community can lead to better decision-making and a more inclusive approach to governance. It’s time for Yavapai Community College  to step out from the shadows of secrecy and engage openly with the public it serves. A culture of secrecy has no place in the realm of education. The future of the College and  the trust it should command depends on its willingness to operate with transparency, integrity, and openness.

Verde Valley/Sedona Residents taken by surprise as a variety of multi-million dollar projects for  west side of County continue to be pulled from taxpayer hat by College execs while east side of County ignored

Robert Oliphant, Editor

EDITORIAL: The Yavapai Community College executives began laying the groundwork during the September 19 Board meeting for another multi-million dollar construction project on the Prescott side of Mingus mountain.  This project would consist of a 40 apartment complex on 1.15 acres it just purchased near the Career and Technical Education Center.  The College’s rhetoric during the meeting left little doubt to most listeners that the goal is to obtain swift approval for the project at the next budget opportunity.

The College’s unveiling of the possible multi-million-dollar apartment complex for CTEC comes as yet another surprising development for County residents. Recall the sudden last minute  insertion of $10 million into the 2023-24 budget to accommodate a 20,000 foot expansion of CTEC—it already covers around 108,000 square feet.  Then the August surprise announcement that the College was quickly moving forward with preliminary plans to construct a 30,000 square foot Health Science Center in Prescott Valley at a cost of at least $20 million. 

In addition to these surprises, we know the College is currently allocating around $15 million to convert the Prescott Campus library into Digital Learning Commons. Moreover, it is in the process of developing a housing complex of manufactured homes near Prescott Valley for west side faculty, which will no doubt cost millions. 

In stark contrast, the Community College’s allocation of resources and concern for housing and amenities on the Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center is minimal at best. It scrapped  the Master plan provision based on need and research, approved in concept by the Governing Board in November 2022,  to invest $9.25 million in  decent student housing on the Verde Valley Campus. 

It is worth noting that the $9.25 million Verde Valley/Sedona campus housing project was labeled a priority in November 2022 and sold as such to local politicians by College representatives in a special meeting held months earlier in March 2022. Despite the Master plan and rhetoric associated with it, within a few weeks of the November presentation it appears the College stepped away from it in favor of cheap, inexpensive temporary housing fixes for the Verde Valley Campus/Sedona Center.  Here are some concrete examples to illustrate this shift.

The first example is the decision to construct a crude 10 vehicle trailer park on the Verde Valley Campus. Starting last March, with notice to no one including the Third District representative, the College issued a contract, drafted a plan, and put a bulldozer to work on on the project.  Grading began on some unused desert land on its Verde Valley Campus adjacent to the vineyard that is a block or more from the main Campus facilities. There are neither sidewalks nor well-developed walking paths between the trailer park and teaching facilities.  Over the summer it installed a basic septic system plus water and electric lines, poured a small cement slab for each trailer, and proudly proclaimed in August the availability of a ten vehicle trailer lot for faculty and students.

By any measure, this is a minimalist trailer park. It offers little relief from the blistering summer heat because it lacks shade trees or a permanent structure for cooling, student gatherings, food, or refreshments. Security measures appear inadequate, outdoor lighting is nonexistent, regulations are few and far between, and perhaps most astonishingly, the trailer park entrance is merely 50 – 75 feet away from the backyards of Clarkdale residents. Access to the trailer park is via a poorly constructed, single-lane trail-type road where nightly visits from coyotes and Mohave rattlesnakes are far from uncommon, making for a rather unconventional coexistence with trailers of varying ages, makes, sizes, and conditions.

The second example  involved cutting a deal during the summer of 2023 with a Prescott Valley developer who was building a large apartment complex in Cottonwood about two miles from the Verde Valley Campus. The College agreed to reserve ten apartments for faculty and students and then rent them out.

This apartment project has already failed. Despite its best efforts beginning in the summer, the scheme failed to attract either faculty or students to rent them from the College for the fall semester. Apparently, although not entirely clear, the developer let the College out of any cost associated with its reserve agreement for the fall semester. The project will be shuttered next year unless there are takers in January 2024.

One couldn’t help but smile as the College executives presented their case for the CTEC apartments at the September Board meeting. They attempted to tantalize the Governing Board  with the prospect of partnering with a company with international headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, known by the acronym “COBOD” (Construct Buildings on Demand). This company aspires to sell 40 state-of-the-art 3D cement printing machines annually in the United States. The pitch to the Board by the College centered on the notion that Yavapai could serve as the ideal training ground for individuals who invest in these printers.

According to the sales pitch delivered on Tuesday, the COBOD trainees would require accommodation for a semester or possibly shorter periods. Thus, the subtle yet discernible suggestion to the Board that there is an essential need for housing these individuals near CTEC because this is a destination program. The destination claim  is a familiar one that has been previously disregarded on numerous occasions in the case of the vineyard and culinary projects at the Verde Valley Campus and the Sedona Center respectively.

To further persuade the Governing Board, the College execs trotted out a graph showing that the potential student housing demand for CTEC-like-courses was already at 42.  It was estimated that COBOD would add another ten people to this list.

One can’t help but ponder whether this entire endeavor was surreptitiously conceived in the offices of Yavapai Community College executives based in Prescott many months ago and  intentionally kept hidden from the County’s residents. This approach now  appears to be the commonly accepted modus operandi of the executives running this publicly funded educational institution. 

They understand full well that without awareness by County residents of how they are spending taxpayer funds there is little or no accountability. After all, as someone has said, “accountability ascends amidst awareness.” 

A short essay by Robert Oliphant

Introduction:

Editor: Robert Oliphant

In a democratic society, officials, such as those members elected or appointed to the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board, play a vital role in representing the interests and concerns of the public. One crucial aspect of this responsibility is to ask meaningful and relevant questions when presented with important items presented by the Community College President and her staff. Failing to do so can have profound effects on the citizens of Yavapai County, impacting transparency, accountability, decision-making, and public trust. In this  short essay I explore the consequences of such failures by the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board, which failures appear obvious to a close observer, and emphasize the importance of these politicians actively engaging with their constituents and the executives who run Yavapai Community College.

Transparency and Accountability:

When Yavapai Community College District Governing Board members  neglect to ask significant questions about an item presented to them during a business meeting by the Yavapai President or her staff, as they do so often, it hampers the transparency and accountability that are vital to a functioning democracy. The Board members are accountable to the people they serve, and by not questioning the details and implications of an item presented to them by the Community College executives, they fail to fulfill their oversight role. A concern with this behavior by Board members in this regard is that the lack of scrutiny can lead to potential abuses of power, corruption, and, just as important,  the erosion of public trust in the system set up to govern the Community college.

Impaired Decision-Making:

Significant decisions often require a thorough understanding of the complexities involved. By not asking pertinent questions, Yavapai Community College District Governing Board members miss the opportunity to gather essential information, perspectives, and expert opinions. As a result, decision-making processes can become compromised, potentially leading to flawed policies, inadequate resource allocation, and missed opportunities for improvement. Ultimately, this failure to ask important questions diminishes the quality and effectiveness of governance, negatively impacting the  well-being of the residents of Yavapai County.

Public Trust and Confidence:

Public trust in the members of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board  is essential for the functioning of a democratic society. When the members fail to ask significant questions, it creates an impression of complacency, negligence, or a lack of genuine concern for the public’s interests. This can erode public trust and confidence in the oversight system as a whole. The public expects their elected or temporary appointed District Governing Board representatives to be diligent, knowledgeable, and engaged. When they fall short of these expectations, it can lead to disillusionment, apathy, and a diminished sense of civic participation.

Missed Opportunities for Public Input:

Asking important questions allows the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board to engage in meaningful dialogue and seek public input on critical issues. When they fail to do so, they miss the opportunity to involve the public in decision-making processes. The public’s diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise can provide valuable insights and ensure that policies reflect the needs and aspirations of the broader population. Without these perspectives, decisions risk being disconnected from the realities of the public, further undermining democratic principles.

Conclusion:

The failure of members of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board  to ask significant questions about items presented by unelected officials in the guise of the College President and her staff  has far-reaching consequences for the public. It diminishes transparency, weakens accountability, impairs decision-making, and erodes public trust. Members of the Governing Board should recognize their responsibility to be diligent, inquisitive, and engaged representatives of the people. By actively asking important questions, they can foster transparency, ensure accountability, make informed decisions, and strengthen public trust in the democratic process. Only through such proactive engagement can the Board members themselves effectively address the complex challenges facing the residents of Yavapai County  and create policies that genuinely serve their interest.

Special interests apparently driving these additions rather than detailed analysis showing need; Are special interests money for limited support being used as a salve to discourage questions about data and need?  

Editor: Robert E. Oliphant

OPINION. It’s hard not to ask whether Yavapai Community College administrators have a double standard when it comes to producing hard data showing a need for a program or project:  One standard seems to exist for Prescott  and a second standard for the east side of Mingus Mountain. 

If there isn’t a double standard, how do you explain, for example,  the current drive on the Prescott Campus to recruit athletes, hire coaches, find offices and add  two new expensive  athletic programs to the already bloated athletic department without publicly producing independent data showing either an academic or community need for them?

These additions come at a time when the Administration has been constantly preaching to the public  at various meetings, especially those in the Sedona/Verde Valley area,  that it will only invest in projects and programs where it is demonstrated by production of reliable data showing an educational and/or community need.  The absence of data showing need, the administrators claim,  is why, for example, it is not planning to expand and enhance the nursing program in the Verde Valley.  The absence of need is why it did not build a 30,000 square foot Career and Technical Education Center on the Verde Campus; only a 10,000 square foot structure (versus 104,000 square foot CTE facility on the Prescott side).  And on and on and on.

This handy off-the-shelf rhetoric to show need is particularly useful  when issues about serious future development of housing to support the fledgling destination programs at the Sedona Center and Verde Campus come up.  The rhetoric was  particularly evident when the current crop of consultants hired by Prescott administrators explained the meager development plans for Sedona/Verde Valley over the next eight to ten-years, ignoring most, if not all of the input from the public at public meetings.

Along with the dual standard comes a salve typically used by Prescott to temporarily divert attention away from the need for data to support any project it wants such as a professional tennis complex (no tennis team), an indoor Olympic pool (no swim team), or a state-of-the-art auditorium that services only the Prescott area.  In each of these projects, Prescott special interests kicked in a little “taste” money to stimulate College and Governing Board approval. After that, the millions of dollars to complete and maintain these projects fell like a heavy financial yoke on the already burdened shoulders of County taxpayers. 

The salve  being used for the basketball programs is a rumor that special interests are going to give a financial “taste” to support the teams for three years.  A good whiff from the balm of the salve is usually all it takes to block rational thinking about the  50 years after that special interest money runs out when  the bill for the teams will be footed by County taxpayers.

For most, adding these teams to the already overstuffed athletic department baggage seems incredible given the relative tiny student enrollment at Yavapai Community College with at least five NJCAA teams already being heavily supported by taxpayers. 

But what the heck.  Isn’t it more important to add the cost of supporting basketball teams than it is to enhance the nursing program in the Verde Valley or expand the Career and Technical Education facilities?  How do you explain this kind of prioritization?

A double standard, I suggest, is all the explanation you need.`

Managing Editor Christopher Fox Graham argues “Verde Valley tax dollars provide more than a third of his college’s budget, ergo, we should have a third of the programs we pay for”

Managing Editor Sedona Redrock News, Christoper Fox Graham

Sedona RedRock News Managing Editor Christoper Fox Graham took strong issue with the views of Yavapai Community College’s Fourth District representative, Chris Kuknyo, who made them known at the November 16 Governing Board meeting held at the Career and Technical Education Center located at the Prescott airport.  This was Editor Graham’s  second editorial based on comments made by  Governing Board members at that meeting.  In this  editorial, published December 12, Editor Graham argued that “Kuknyo fails to grasp taxes are public’s money” when discussing the Verde Valley.

At one point during the November 16 meeting Graham noted that  Kuknyo had expressed dismay with Third District Paul Chevalier’s routine effort to ask questions related to the impact a Community
College program may have on the Verde Valley (or the fact one did not exist there).  “It makes me not want to help and just push away and concentrate on the other stuff,” Kuknyo said.

Editor Graham responded to Kuknyo writing that he:

“fails to comprehend that Verde Valley tax dollars provide more than a third of his college’s budget, ergo, we should have a third of the programs we pay for.

Yet, how would Kuknyo’s `sudden decision’ to ignore the Verde Valley’s concerns be any different than the last 40 years of the community college ignoring, cheating, short-changing and stealing tax dollars and programs from the Verde Valley to benefit the Prescott side?

Editor Graham also wrote that:

“The previous community college president and her then-board picked a fight with the Verde Valley a decade ago, and in so doing lost a huge land endowment that went to the Pima County-based University of Arizona instead and faced a Verde Valley secession drive that only diminished with the president’s retirement and Chevalier’s election. The risk of secession still looms if ignorant board members want to revive abuse.

“Kuknyo is impressed by the Verde Valley wine center at Yavapai College as well as “… the food-makin’ place …,” which we can only assume is what the officials like Kuknyo who run the board of a higher education institution call the “Sedona “Culinary Arts Program.”

“The wine center is in the Verde Valley because Prescott college officials can’t physically steal and move the land the Verde Valley vineyards sit on.”

There is much more to Editor Graham’s editorial.  You can read it in its entirety by clicking here:   http://www.redrocknews.com/2021/12/12/yavapai-college-board-member-kuknyo-fails-to-grasp-taxes-are-publics-money/

Should the 50-year-old model in a county larger than Connecticut or the state of Israel  be scrapped to give east county residents an opportunity to develop their own Community College  model that they can claim as  their own? And provide them with accountability?

Editor: Robert Oliphant

EDITORIAL:  At the time the decision to create a Community College District was made a little over 50 years ago, recognition of a District meant certain requirements had to be met.  As a result of Arizona law, those wanting a community college in Yavapai County were forced  to include its  entire high school population and its entire land value. Today, whatever legal requirements are needed to create a Community College District, the residents of the East side of the county with a population over 75,000 can meet them.

If it weren’t for the legal requirements of 50 years,  creation of a single community college district encompassing  such a huge  land mass makes no sense at all.  The Yavapai Community College  District covers all of Yavapai County consisting of 8,125 square miles. The size of the County  is comparable  to states such as Connecticut (5,543 sq. miles — 12 community colleges and universities), Delaware (1,982 sq. miles — three community colleges and universities), Rhode Island (1,214 sq. miles— one public and two private community colleges)  and New Jersey (8,723 sq. miles — 19 community colleges and universities). The state of Israel encompasses  8,550 square miles (ten universities and 53 colleges).

Once Prescott was chosen as the  location for the first community college, the architects designed an institution resembling a state university.  This was most likely  an effort  to provide education to those in the far reaches of the County.  Since that time, and despite the many changes in population in the County, the Community College has expanded on the original model and remained tightly focused  on developing the Prescott side of the County.

Today, most agree that Yavapai Community College  operates and resembles  a state college or university.  On the Prescott side of the County, it boasts  six athletic teams, athletic fields, a cadre of coaches, two residence halls, a major gymnasium, heated indoor swimming pool including special therapy pool for seniors; professional tennis complex, weight complex, 104,000  square foot Career and Technical Education Center, and a state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center  (PAC) with an 1,100 seat ultra-modern auditorium. The PAC provides over 50 major theatre cultural performances annually and at least 20 free special events – probably many more. The College  offers a wide variety of music and performing arts courses not offered elsewhere.  It  will be offering four-year degrees shortly.

 It has even dropped the name “Community College” in favor of being called “Yavapai College.” 

The Community College Governing Board is dominated by west county Governing Board politicos who in 2012-13 boldly approved a $103.5 million plan to further develop the institution with less than 5% of development flowing to the east side of the County.  The administration is staffed by all Prescott based executives and the vast majority of faculty and staff live and work on the Prescott side of the County.  All political control rests with Prescott based people. All decisions regarding courses, construction of facilities, and other projects come directly from Prescott and must be approved by them.  The current Dean of the Sedona Center/Verde Campus is not considered an important voice in decision making.  In fact, the current Dean has major duties that take her away from the Verde Valley on a regular basis.  Even the College Foundation is controlled almost entirely by the west side of the County despite the fact that  the current president is from the Verde Valley. 

Few of the dozens of  accoutrements associated with operating the Community College on the west side of the County exist on the East side. 

Examples of just how weak is the control of east side residents over how the community college is developed in their area of the County  are easy to find.  For example, after ten years of constant effort by east county advocates, its Governing Board Third District  representative, and a few politicians, the College agreed to construct a  10,000 square foot Career and Technical Education Center (CTE).  East County residents were demanding a minimum of 30,000 feet so the facility  could be easily, inexpensively,  and quickly expanded to meet unique training needs that might come to it in the future.  They based this view on the fact that the west side CTE campus is at least 104,000 square feet and has historically been used to quickly meet unanticipated   local CTE needs.  They also wanted it at another location. 

Despite the demands from east-siders, Prescott administrators decided to build a tiny 10,000 square foot facility on the Verde Campus on  a rocky plateau of sorts and promise that if there were a future need, they would  build another facility (“phase two,” they said) to meet the need.  In essence, they easily handcuffed future CTE development with the facility and its location on a rocky plateau ― there are 60-70 acres of land a few feet away where a CTE facility on a flat surface with acres of parking space could easily have been built.

Another example is reflected in the history of Building “L,” which was renovated a couple years ago to provide improved nursing training and a small manufacturing training area.  Recall that the Prescott administration initially was going to move all nursing training to a new facility it was constructing at its  Prescott Valley Center.  However, the uproar from the Valley eventually caused them to back off; but it took an uproar to stop it.   The most recent renovation of Buiding “L” appears to be its third.  It was originally built with the aid of Federal Government funding to be used as a  major Career and Technical Education facility.  That focus and development of CTE programs on the east side of the County pretty much ended when Prescott purchased the 104,000 square foot building at the Prescott airport for CTE training.

As now operated, the Yavapai Community College fails to provide locally to east side county residents what these institutions are supposed to provide.  Most obvious is the failure to  effectively serve east-side live-at-home students and part-time students with face-to-face courses.   The current set-up  is far less than ideal for east-side students who want to save room,  board and travel money by living at home, and for students who want to further their educations while balancing work and family.

It is failing to offer cultural programs with nothing comparable to what is offered on the west side of the County.  It is failing to offer  courses in areas of common interest such  as music and theatre to east-siders.  Those courses are taught only on the  west side.

Sometimes Yavapai Community College appears to  ignore whole areas of the Verde Valley.  For example, the unincorporated area of the Verde Villages that abut the city of Cottonwood have a population of about 12,000 residents. The Verde Villages are not  mentioned even in passing in various reports about the demographics of the County when they are made by the Community College.

Furthermore, with all of the demands needing attention to operate the massive west side complex, there is little time left for the Prescott-based executives to seriously consider east side educational and cultural needs. At best, east siders are given an occasional visit  by Prescott executives or an appearance at an occasional meeting.  The east side gets whatever is left over after the west side operational cup is filled.

Moreover, there is a long-standing sore spot among east-side residents regarding Community College accountability to them. The Community College executives refuse to provide detailed information about how much money is collected from the east side of the County in primary taxes, tuition, construction taxes, government grants, and state taxes. It similarly refuses to explain in detail how much of all those funds collected are returned to the Verde Valley, a figure some estimate should be  around  $35 million annually. 

Maybe it’s  time to reconsider the current model? Maybe it’s time to give the east side residents an actual voice and actual control over their post-secondary community college training. Maybe it’s time be accountable and explain how the east side residents  financial contributions to the Community College are being used. Maybe?